Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil

What is it? Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil is the oil from the fruit of the sea buckthorn berry. The sea buckthorn plant is a thorny shrub believed to originate in Asia.
INCI Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil
Appearance Very dark reddy-orange liquid.
Usage rate This will vary with the strength of the colour of the oil you have. Typically 5% or less; you could use more, the upper limit is usually set by what can be safely used without staining skin or clothing.
Texture Smooth, semi-viscous liquid.
Scent A bit nutty
Absorbency Speed Average to fast
Solubility Oil
Why do we use it in formulations? Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil is often used in anti-acne skin care due to its potential antimicrobial activity—I do wonder how much of an effect one would get with the low usage rate often necessitated by the strong colour, though.

I find I mostly use Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil as an orange colourant—at 1% it gives most products a cheery orange colour.
Do you need it? No; it’s a more expensive carrier oil and is hard to use due to the strong colour.
Refined or unrefined? The unrefined stuff is typically what people get really excited about.
Strengths Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil is a unique plant-derived oil rich in carotenoids (that’s where the deep colour comes from!) and omega-7 fatty acids. It can also give our products a very stunning orange colour.
Weaknesses Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil tends to be incredibly orange or red, and can dye the skin even at concentrations below 5%. This does vary from batch to batch, but generally speaking it is a very dark oil that can be hard to use at high concentrations due to the tendency to dye skin orange.
Alternatives & Substitutions Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil tends to be easier to work with as it is not nearly as orange, though the fatty acid composition is quite different. Buriti oil (the orange variety) can also contribute a similar orange colour to finished products. The fatty acid composition is very unique; avocado oil and macadamia nut oil have some commonalities, and would make decent alternatives.
How to Work with It Include Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil in the oil phase of your formula; it can be hot or cold processed depending on the needs of your formula.
Storage & Shelf Life Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, sea buckthorn fruit oil should last up to two years. It is considered more shelf stable than sea buckthorn seed oil due to the nature of the fatty acid composition.
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil is rich in palmitoleic acid (omega 7), which makes it very unique among vegetable oils. It can contain up to 40% omega-7 fatty acids!
Recommended starter amount 30mL (1fl oz)
Where to Buy it  Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier.

Some Formulations that Use Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil

Skills

Posted on

January 24, 2019